Photo Gallery: Voodoo festival in Benin

Dan Kitwood, Getty Images03.05.2013

Dancers wait to perform at a Voodoo Ceremony in Ouidah, Benin. Ouidah is Benin's Voodoo heartland, and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo or Vodun as it known in Benin. Shrouded in mystery and often misunderstood, Voodoo was acknowledged as an official religion in Benin in 1989, and is increasing in popularity with around 17 percent of the population following it.

Dan Kitwood
/ Getty Images

An 'Egungun' spirit performs during a Voodoo ceremony in Ouidah, Benin. The Egungun are masqueraded dancers that represents the ancestral spirits of the Yoruba, a Nigerian ethnic group, and are believed to visit earth to possess and give guidance to the living. Ouidah is Benin's Voodoo heartland, and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo or Vodun as it known in Benin. Shrouded in mystery and often misunderstood, Voodoo was acknowledged as an official religion in Benin in 1989, and is increasing in popularity with around 17 percent of the population following it.Dan Kitwood
/ Getty Images

Dancers wait to perform at a Voodoo Ceremony in Ouidah, Benin. Ouidah is Benin's Voodoo heartland, and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo or Vodun as it known in Benin. Shrouded in mystery and often misunderstood, Voodoo was acknowledged as an official religion in Benin in 1989, and is increasing in popularity with around 17 percent of the population following it.Dan Kitwood
/ Getty Images

Devotees dance while in a state of trance during a Voodoo ceremony in Ouidah, Benin. Ouidah is Benin's Voodoo heartland, and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo or Vodun as it is known in Benin. Shrouded in mystery and often misunderstood, Voodoo was acknowledged as an official religion in Benin in 1989, and is increasing in popularity with around 17 percent of the population following it.Dan Kitwood
/ Getty Images

Dancers wait to perform at a Voodoo Ceremony on January in Ouidah, Benin. Ouidah is Benin's Voodoo heartland, and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo or Vodun as it known in Benin. Shrouded in mystery and often misunderstood, Voodoo was acknowledged as an official religion in Benin in 1989, and is increasing in popularity with around 17 percent of the population following it.Dan Kitwood
/ Getty Images

Children play in a street in Ouidah, Benin. Ouidah is Benin's Voodoo heartland, and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo or Vodun as it known in Benin. Shrouded in mystery and often misunderstood, Voodoo was acknowledged as an official religion in Benin in 1989, and is increasing in popularity with around 17 percent of the population following it.Dan Kitwood
/ Getty Images

Dancers wait to perform at a Voodoo Ceremony in Ouidah, Benin. Ouidah is Benin's Voodoo heartland, and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo or Vodun as it known in Benin. Shrouded in mystery and often misunderstood, Voodoo was acknowledged as an official religion in Benin in 1989, and is increasing in popularity with around 17 percent of the population following it.Dan Kitwood
/ Getty Images

A devotees dances while in a state of trance during a Voodoo ceremony in Ouidah, Benin. Ouidah is Benin's Voodoo heartland, and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo or Vodun as it is known in Benin. Shrouded in mystery and often misunderstood, Voodoo was acknowledged as an official religion in Benin in 1989, and is increasing in popularity with around 17 percent of the population following it.Dan Kitwood
/ Getty Images

A man sits in a shrine during a Voodoo ceremony in Ouidah, Benin. Ouidah is Benin's Voodoo heartland, and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo or Vodun as it known in Benin. Shrouded in mystery and often misunderstood, Voodoo was acknowledged as an official religion in Benin in 1989, and is increasing in popularity with around 17 percent of the population following it.Dan Kitwood
/ Getty Images

'Egungun' spirits perform a dance ahead of a Voodoo ceremony in Ouidah, Benin. Speaking quickly in squeaky voices they represent the ancestral spirits of the Pygmy People of Africa, and are believed to visit earth to possess and give guidance to the living. Ouidah is Benin's Voodoo heartland, and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo or Vodun as it known in Benin. Shrouded in mystery and often misunderstood, Voodoo was acknowledged as an official religion in Benin in 1989, and is increasing in popularity with around 17 percent of the population following it.Dan Kitwood
/ Getty Images

Dancers perform at a Voodoo Ceremony in Ouidah, Benin. Ouidah is Benin's Voodoo heartland, and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo or Vodun as it known in Benin. Shrouded in mystery and often misunderstood, Voodoo was acknowledged as an official religion in Benin in 1989, and is increasing in popularity with around 17 percent of the population following it.Dan Kitwood
/ Getty Images

Devotees dance while in a state of trance during a Voodoo ceremony in Ouidah, Benin. Ouidah is Benin's Voodoo heartland, and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo or Vodun as it is known in Benin. Shrouded in mystery and often misunderstood, Voodoo was acknowledged as an official religion in Benin in 1989, and is increasing in popularity with around 17 percent of the population following it.Dan Kitwood
/ Getty Images

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